The worsening outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease in parts of Africa has triggered fresh anxiety among Nigerians, as infections and deaths continue to rise in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda and neighbouring countries.
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The outbreak, which has already forced several countries to tighten border surveillance, has revived memories of Nigeria’s 2014 Ebola experience and raised concerns about the possibility of cross-border transmission.
Although no case has been detected in Nigeria, the Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has assured citizens that it is closely monitoring developments and strengthening surveillance at all points of entry, especially international airports.
Director-General of the NCDC, Dr. Jide Idris, said the agency was working with local and international partners, including the Port Health Services of the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, to ensure that Nigeria remains prepared.
“We are aware of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the DRC and recent reports of a confirmed imported case in Uganda linked to the outbreak in the DRC. We have activated all our public health emergency measures to ensure proper response. This includes enhanced surveillance, laboratory testing, infection prevention and control, case management, contact tracing, and risk communication activities,” Idris said.
Despite the assurance, many Nigerians remain worried, citing the country’s porous land borders, weak public health systems in some areas, and fears that airport and border checks may not be strict enough.
Some Nigerians have also urged President Bola Tinubu and members of his delegation who recently returned from East African countries, including Kenya and Rwanda, to observe the recommended 21-day monitoring period as a precautionary measure.
According to the NCDC, Ebola Virus Disease is a severe viral illness caused by the Bundibugyo Ebola virus. It is transmitted mainly through direct contact with the blood, bodily fluids, secretions or contaminated materials of infected persons or animals.
Health experts say the incubation period ranges from two to 21 days. Symptoms include fever, weakness, headache, muscle pain, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhoea and, in severe cases, unexplained bleeding.
They warned that because the early symptoms may resemble malaria, typhoid and other common illnesses in Nigeria, health workers must maintain a high index of suspicion, especially where a patient has a travel or exposure history linked to affected countries.
Across the country, the news of the outbreak has already changed daily habits for some citizens.
A secondary school teacher, Folake Adeyemi, said the memory of the 2014 outbreak still frightens her.
“2014 still feels like yesterday. It’s not an experience I would ever want to have. Now I carry hand sanitiser everywhere and I’ve told my students not to share water bottles and to wash their hands regularly. Maybe I’m overreacting, but I would rather overreact and be safe,” she said.
A commercial driver, Homa Umeorah, said he follows NCDC updates online but worries that people in rural areas may not receive timely information.
“I can read the updates online, but my parents in the village don’t use smartphones. If something happens, how will they know? The government needs to use radio and town criers, not just social media,” he said.
A hairdresser, Susan Oghenero, said she has become more careful with tools used in her shop.
“We use scissors, clippers and combs for different people. Since I heard about the outbreak, I have been concerned, but it has always been my practice to sterilise everything after each client and wash my hands between customers. I can only pray we don’t experience that epidemic again,” she said.
The World Health Organization has also expressed concern over the outbreak after a rapid rise in suspected infections and deaths in Central and East Africa.
WHO declared the outbreak a public health emergency after confirming that at least 81 suspected deaths and more than 246 confirmed cases had been recorded in affected countries as of Sunday, May 17, 2026.
By Wednesday, WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said more than 600 cases and 130 deaths had been recorded, warning that the figures were likely to rise as surveillance, testing and contact tracing expand.
“We are deeply concerned about the scale and speed of the epidemic outbreak. This is an indication that the outbreak had been spreading long before it was detected,” he said.
WHO urged affected countries to activate emergency operation centres, intensify surveillance, improve contact tracing, strengthen infection prevention and control, and establish specialised treatment centres.
However, the global health body advised countries not to shut their borders or impose travel and trade restrictions, warning that such measures could drive people to use informal and unmonitored routes, thereby increasing the risk of disease spread.
The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said it has activated its Incident Management Support Team to coordinate response efforts in the DRC and Uganda, while also supporting preparedness in South Sudan and neighbouring countries.
Africa CDC said it had approved a 72-hour Incident Action Plan covering response measures, deployed multidisciplinary surge teams, and begun assessing needs for diagnostics, personal protective equipment, therapeutics, vaccines and cold-chain systems.
Nigeria’s last major Ebola outbreak occurred in 2014 after Patrick Sawyer, a Liberian-American diplomat infected with the virus, arrived in Lagos and collapsed at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport.
He was taken to First Consultants Hospital in Obalende, where Dr. Stella Adadevoh and her medical team identified the danger and resisted pressure to discharge him.
Their action helped prevent a wider spread in Lagos, although a secondary cluster later occurred in Port Harcourt. Nigeria recorded 20 confirmed and probable cases, with eight deaths, including Dr. Adadevoh and other health workers, while 12 persons recovered.
Following that experience, public health authorities have maintained Ebola surveillance systems, especially at airports and other points of entry.
In Lagos, the Chairman of the Nigerian Medical Association, Lagos Branch, Ewonowo Temidire Sunday, said the state is already strengthening infectious disease preparedness in public and private health facilities.
He said Lagos’ status as Nigeria’s major gateway for international travel and commerce makes readiness unavoidable.
“We understand clearly that preparedness is not optional. The NMA Lagos State Branch has continued to engage doctors across both public and private health institutions on infectious disease preparedness and emergency response protocols,” he said.
Ewonowo said the association is working with the Lagos State Ministry of Health, hospital management boards and other professional bodies to strengthen training on Ebola case recognition, rapid triage, isolation procedures, infection prevention and control, and the proper use of personal protective equipment.
He urged health facilities, including private clinics and primary healthcare centres, to reactivate internal surveillance systems and maintain alertness among frontline workers.
He also warned that fear, rumours and misinformation could worsen the situation by discouraging people from reporting symptoms early.
“Doctors are also being encouraged to serve as trusted voices in their communities by educating patients on symptoms, preventive measures, and the importance of early presentation to health facilities,” he said.
Environmental health practitioner, Nelson Confidence, also called for urgent refresher training for frontline health workers and renewed sensitisation campaigns in rural communities.
“Health workers are like the military when it comes to the fight against disease. Ebola is a disease that spreads easily through different routes of transmission and carries a high morbidity and mortality rate. Frontline health workers should be adequately prepared for it,” he said.
Nelson warned that many hygiene habits adopted during the 2014 outbreak have faded, especially in rural and underserved communities.
“Hygiene practices that were initiated then have been abandoned, and physical distancing has become a thing of the past. It is imperative that authorities reawaken the moribund campaign against the Ebola virus among rural areas to create consciousness on the prevention, control, and reporting of the disease,” he said.
A medical doctor at Gracevale Medical Centre in Enugu, Chinedu Ikenga, said Nigeria’s experience in 2014 gives the country an advantage, but only if existing systems are properly funded and health workers are regularly trained.
“We learned that speed matters more than anything. In 2014, we had to build systems while fighting the fire. Now those systems exist on paper and in practice. Our challenge is keeping them funded and keeping staff trained when there’s no active outbreak,” he said.
Another Abuja-based doctor, Ifeoma Abassah, said health workers have been reminded to pay close attention to patients with fever and recent travel history to affected countries.
“We are reviewing our triage protocols and making sure personal protective equipment is available and accessible. The hardest part is avoiding complacency. When you go months without a case, people start to relax. Ebola doesn’t care about that,” she said.
Health experts insist that early detection, prompt isolation, treatment, contact tracing, infection prevention, public education and safe burial practices remain the most effective tools for preventing Ebola spread.
They urged Nigerians to remain calm, follow official health advisories, maintain good hygiene, avoid direct contact with bodily fluids of sick persons, and report suspected symptoms early.
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